Shoe polishing device



May 26, 1953 P. D. DOUGLASS, 6 9, 5

SHOE POLISHING DEVICE Filed Feb. 11, 1947 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 26,1953 D. DOUGLASS SHOE POLISHING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 11,1947 .fiazz glams May 26, 1953 Filed Feb. 11, 1947 P. D. DOUGLASS SHOEPOLISHING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

SHOE POLISHING DEVICE Porter D. Douglass, Oakland, Calif., assignor toDouglass Automatic Shoe Shining 00., a corporation of CaliforniaApplication February 11, 1947, Serial No. 727,761

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to shoe-shining machines, the primary object ofthe invention being to provide a machine in the form of a cabinet andwhich is coin-controlled, whereby a person may by inserting his foot andshoe into the cabinet, set certain machinery in motion, to shine orpolish the shoe.

An important object of the invention is to provide reciprocatingpolishing members, which are so mounted that they will automaticallyadjust themselves to the shape of the shoe being polished or shined, tothe end that the shining or polishing members will operate to shine orpolish shoes of Various shapes and sizes.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a shoe-shining cabinet constructed inaccordance with the invention, a portion of the cabinet being brokenaway to illustrate the shining or polishing mechanism supported withinthe cabinet.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the cabinet, taken on line22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view through the cabinetillustrating the forward ends of the polishing members.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the polishing or shining elements.

Figure 5 is an elevational view illustrating the polishing or shiningmembers.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--B of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference characters 5indicates the cabinet of the machine, which includes a base 6 thatextends an appreciable distance forwardly from the front of the machine,the front wall of the cabinet having the indentation 5 formed thereinwhich is wide at its lower end providing clearance for the positioningof a shoe on the base.

Mounted within the cabinet, is a platform I which is provided withtracks 8 on which the wheels 9 of the carriage i0 operate.

At the forward end of the carriage it, is a bearing H in which thevertical pin l2 operates, the pin l2 providing a connection between thecarriage I0 and pivoted polishing or shining heads 2 13 which embodyhousings in which the backing members ['5' are held, against which therubber blocks 53 engage and over which are secured the polishing orshining members it that are in the form of strips of lambs wool forcontact with the surface being polished by the machine.

These polishing or shining heads i3 are shaped so that they will engagethe surface of the shoe being shined, the members l4 moving around theheel of the shoe.

Spring arms it connect with the pin I2 and are curved to fit around theouter surfaces of the polishing or shining heads it, where they are heldin position by means of the pins It that extend from the outer surfaceof the heads l3.

The free ends of the spring arms I5 are curved as a ll so the curvedends 1'! contacting to limit movement of the spring arms towards eachother when the shoe polished by the polishing heads has extend fromouter surfaces of the heads i3.

Rising from the base 6 is the curved flange 6' which has an inwardlyextended flange 1 providing a guard that overlies the upper edges of theshining heads E3. The flange l defines the opening 8 directly over theshining members of the machine, into which the shoe to be polished isinserted when placing the shoe within the machine.

The reference character is indicates a pair of pivoted arms that areconnected to the spring arms It, the outer ends of the arms l8 beingconnected by means of the coiled spring it that acts to normally urgethe arms [8 together.

The arms is connect with the rod 20 through the collar 20 that slideslongitudinally of the rod 20, the rod 20 being secured within thebracket 2| that rises from the carriage ID, as clearly shown by Figure 2of the drawings.

Mounted within the cabinet, is the electric motor 22 that carries on itsshaft an eccentric 23 that in turn is connected with the carriage l0,through the medium of the link 24.

It might be further stated that the motor 22 is of the type which iscontrolled and operated by means of a coin inserted in a suitablecoin-control mechanism not shown, and which is of the conventional typecommonly employed in automatic machines of this type.

The spring arms is are wide and are supplied with wheels 25, whereby themechanism may move freely within the cabinet to accomplish the purposeof the invention.

The reference character 26 indicates a mirror which is secured to theupper surface of the cabinet to lend to the attractiveness of themachine.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the structure and operation ofthe shoe-shining machine forming the subject matter of this invention,will be clear, and that further description as to the operation of thedevice is unnecessary.

What is claimed is:

In a shoe polishing device, a cabinet comprising a base, and a frontwall having a shoe opening extending forwardly therefrom, a platformmounted on the base, a reciprocating wheel supported carriage mountedwithin the cabinet, movable over said platform, a pin rising from thecarriage adjacent to one end thereof, a pair of horizontally disposedelongated polishing heads, said polishing heads being curved throughouttheir lengths adapted to completely encircle a shoe positionedtherebetween, substantially wide spring arms secured against the sidesof the polishing heads, pivotally mounted on said pin and normallyurging the polishing heads towards each other to contact a shoe disposedbetween the polishing heads, a bracket rising from the carriage, a pairof horizontal pivoted arms connected between said spring and bracket, acoiled spring connected between the ends of the horizontal pivoted armsconnected to said spring arms 4 normally biasing the polishing headsinto contact with a shoe positioned between the polishing heads, a motormounted on the base, a link connecting the motor to the carriage wherebysaid carriage is reciprocated, and the polishing heads are moved over ashoe held between the polishing heads, and the polishing members securedto and conforming to the curved surfaces of the polishing heads.

PORTER D. DOUGLASS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 398,124 Bright Feb. 19, 1889 573,917 Ray Dec. 29, 18961,237,855 Amadeo Aug. 21, 1917 1,254,965 Beck Jan. 29, 1918 1,275,861Danielson Aug. 13, 1918 1,420,540 Giandalia June 20, 1922 1,723,848Gaskill Aug. 6, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,195 GreatBritain of 1899 505,007 Germany Feb. 18, 1931

